For institutional and industrial environments, wall plates for electrical outlets must withstand abuse to eliminate costly replacement. Standard electrical wall plates are unsuitable. The prior art comprises standard electrical wall plates and various wall plates with covers and safety devices used to prevent access. These include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,907,126; U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,564; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,587.
Although these devices fulfill their restrictive and particular objectives and requirements, a standard electrical wall plate, as well as specialized embodiments of the wall plate, neither discloses nor describes a novel one-piece wall plate for mounting on a wall or other planar surface. The inventive device includes exterior and interior surfaces forming a perimeter, which has an upstanding wall communicating with the exterior and interior surfaces. The external surface defines a central opening designed for receiving the electrical outlet. Both surfaces have parallel sidewalls or members that shape the device. Corners are formed by the meeting of the parallel members or sides. Apertures or bores are adjacent the corners for receiving inserts for securely holding the wall plate and outlet in place. Channels are placed through the exterior and interior surfaces to assist the insert passing through the wall plate to be securely fastened to a wall or planar surface.
In these respects, the oversized electrical outlet wall plate, according to the present invention, substantially departs from conventional concepts and designs in the prior art, and in so doing, provides a device allowing a design for institutional and industrial environments. Prior art device cover plates may be damaged by abuse. The impact-resistant, one-piece design of the present invention does not rust or break, and therefore, withstands abuse. The large size of the wall plate provides for increased security and safety and allows it to be securely fastened to a wall or other planar surface.